Chapter Summaries

Gu Zhuoan listened to a recording revealing that his son Gu Qiye was Blue Arc, and that Black Cocoon knew their identities. After Black Cocoon demanded a private meeting at Rainbow Bridge, Gu Zhuoan broke down under the guilt of having fought his own son and staggered out of the bar.

• Gu Zhuoan found a recorder left by a floral-shirted man and played its audio in a restroom stall.
• The recording identified Gu Qiye as the boy who had hated Espers and sought revenge, and Gu Zhuoan recognized Blue Arc's voice in the reply.
• Black Cocoon explained that the recording came from his meeting with Gu Qiye on July 9 and summoned Gu Zhuoan to an abandoned building near Rainbow Bridge on July 15.
• Gu Zhuoan realized that Gu Qiye was Blue Arc and remembered the injuries he had inflicted on his son during their fights.
• Overwhelmed by guilt and fear, Gu Zhuoan convulsed and smashed his head against the stall floor before staggering past the armed bodyguards with the recorder.

Gu Zhuoan discovered that the floral-shirted man was a trap set by Ji Minghuan and left the Underground Bar to pursue Black Cocoon. Meanwhile, Ji Minghuan sent Unit 2 to meet Bloodline at an abandoned amusement park, where he asked her to hand over the nine living bodyguards she had mutilated.

• Gu Zhuoan asked Amemiya Chiharu to investigate the floral-shirted man, then found him suspended in Restraint Bands outside the bar and recognized the trap as Black Cocoon's work.
• Ji Minghuan used a Restraint Band Trap to capture the unconscious man in the floral shirt, intending to lure Gu Zhuoan into meeting Black Cocoon the next night.
• Ji Minghuan controlled Unit 2, Xia Pingzhou, as he arrived at the abandoned amusement park to meet Bloodline, the brigade's No. 9 member.
• Bloodline explained that she had mutilated nine Amamiya Family bodyguards and was keeping them alive with her blood manipulation ability.
• Ji Minghuan asked Bloodline to give him the nine bodyguards, claiming that killing superhuman species would strengthen his Heavenly Drive.

Ji Minghuan killed nine bodyguards at Bloodline’s amusement park, completing a cultivation mission and learning more about her past. Bloodline revealed that she had spent a century searching for a man called 1001, and Ji Minghuan realized he might have been the previous Restricted Class superhuman.

• Bloodline gave Ji Minghuan the nine bodyguards she had been torturing, and he summoned Black Iron Soldiers to kill them.
• Ji Minghuan’s mission progress updated: the nine kills completed his second-stage mission and began the third.
• Bloodline teased Ji Minghuan and said he reminded her of someone she had met during the World War.
• Bloodline recalled that the man, who called himself 1001, had searched for a white-haired girl and saved her on the battlefield.
• Ji Minghuan connected 1001 to the previous Restricted Class superhuman and asked Bloodline about him.
• Bloodline said she had joined the troupe because she was still searching for 1001, and Ji Minghuan wished her luck.

Ji Minghuan joined Ayase Origami’s group after she warned him not to go out alone, while Bloodline continued searching for the person she believed she would find. The chapter left Ji Minghuan following Ayase Origami as he updated his mental roster of the White Crow Troupe.

• Bloodline thanked Ji Minghuan and asked him to keep her search for someone secret, then introduced Oda Takikage, who emerged from Ji Minghuan’s shadow.
• Ayase Origami warned Ji Minghuan that it was dangerous to act alone and suggested he stay with a troupe member until he was stronger.
• Ji Minghuan asked to follow Ayase Origami, and she agreed, while Bloodline teased them about becoming a pair.
• Ayase Origami used paper scraps to give Ji Minghuan cat ears and called him a little kitty as Bloodline laughed.
• Oda Takikage vanished into a shadow to check for underworld lookouts, and Bloodline left to find food.
• Ji Minghuan mentally listed the White Crow Troupe members he knew, then followed Ayase Origami.

Ji Minghuan asked Ayase Origami why she joined the White Crow Troupe, then accompanied her to Taki Kage’s Cafe near Tokyo Bay, where he spotted Li Qingping with the Second Prince of Whale Garden Box. After synchronizing with Unit 1, he declined Li Qingping’s invitation to meet, leaving the two together at the Cafe.

• Ji Minghuan asked Ayase Origami why she joined the troupe, and she said she had been bored with her arranged life until the captain offered her the chance to be a villain; Taki Kage joined with her.
• Ayase Origami brought Ji Minghuan to the Cafe Taki Kage had once run, where Ji Minghuan recognized Li Qingping and the blond Second Prince of Whale Garden Box.
• Ji Minghuan synchronized with Unit 1 and received Li Qingping’s invitation to meet his foreign friend at the Cafe.
• Ji Minghuan decided not to involve Gu Wenyu in the situation and messaged Li Qingping that he was going to sleep.
• At the Cafe, Ji Minghuan saw Oda Takikage in casual clothes and heard Li Qingping tell the Second Prince that his invited friend had stood him up.

Ji Minghuan spent a quiet day at Oda Takikage's Cafe with Ayase Origami and Oda Takikage, then switched to Black Cocoon and prepared to meet Su Zimai in Tokyo. After spotting a popular livestream about the police pursuing the esper criminal Winged Man, he decided it would serve his plan to clear Gu Wenyu of suspicion.

• Ji Minghuan used an Attribute Point to raise Xia Pingzhou's Speed from B Grade to B+ Grade.
• Li Qingping and his Second Prince left the Cafe without clashing with Ayase Origami or Oda Takikage.
• Ayase Origami said the troupe's remaining members had not arrived and that the leader was always the last to show up.
• At night, Ji Minghuan switched to Black Cocoon, checked Gu Zhuoan and Gu Qiye's empty rooms, and used a training reward to raise Black Cocoon's Speed from B+ Grade to B++ Grade.
• Su Zimai invited Gu Wenyu to meet at a ramen shop in Roppongi, and Ji Minghuan planned to use the meeting to clear Gu Wenyu of suspicion.
• Ji Minghuan found a popular livestream about police pursuing the esper criminal Winged Man and decided to use it.

Ji Minghuan sent a Restraint Belt Avatar disguised as Gu Wenyu to meet Su Zimai, who confronted him about being Blue Arc. The chapter ended with Su Zimai revealing that she was an Exorcist and asking her brother once more whether he was Blue Arc.

• Ji Minghuan sent a Restraint Belt Avatar disguised as Gu Wenyu to meet Su Zimai at a ramen restaurant in Tokyo.
• Ji Minghuan met Su Zimai, Ke Qirui, and Ke Qirui’s friend Xu Sanyan at the restaurant.
• Su Zimai asked whether Gu Wenyu was Blue Arc, but Ji Minghuan’s avatar denied it and joked that Blue Arc would have quit school and streamed from home.
• Ji Minghuan touched Su Zimai’s forehead, prompting her to remember how he had cared for her when they were children.
• Su Zimai told Gu Wenyu that she was an Exorcist and said she knew they both hid dangerous work from their family.
• Su Zimai earnestly asked Gu Wenyu again whether he was Blue Arc.

Ji Minghuan denied being Blue Arc while Su Zimai pressed him, and the group watched Black Cocoon intervene in a live Tokyo Tower hostage crisis. Black Cocoon subdued Winged Man and left himself on camera, apparently preparing to perform.

• Su Zimai questioned Ji Minghuan about being Blue Arc, but he denied it and swore an oath involving Big Brother.
• Xu Sanyan noticed a live news report showing Cherry Blossom Warrior confronting Winged Man at Tokyo Tower, where Winged Man held a hostage.
• Black Cocoon appeared behind Winged Man, restrained him, and pushed the hostage toward Cherry Blossom Warrior so she could catch her.
• Black Cocoon’s Restraint Bands suppressed Winged Man’s superpower, and he knocked the serial killer unconscious.
• Black Cocoon told Cherry Blossom Warrior to take the injured hostage to a hospital, then waved at the helicopter camera from the tower railing.

Black Cocoon became a sensation across Japan after drawing a playful caricature of Silver Devourer at Tokyo Tower, then secretly urged Gu Qiye to report to the Exorcist Association. Meanwhile, Xu Sanyan tracked Ji Minghuan, learned that the real Blue Arc had arrived at the Association, and headed there with Black Cocoon secretly following him.

• Black Cocoon showed Japan a cartoon of Silver Devourer threatening to eat Tokyo Tower, then left it on display before disappearing from the broadcast.
• Black Cocoon called Gu Qiye repeatedly and told him to report to Tokyo's Exorcist Association because someone unexpected would be there.
• After Ji Minghuan left the ramen restaurant, Ke Qirui asked Xu Sanyan to follow him, and Su Zimai told Xu not to let her brother find out.
• Xu Sanyan used his umbrella to send Mist People after Ji Minghuan while Black Cocoon secretly watched and guessed how the umbrella worked.
• Ke Qirui sent Xu Sanyan a photo confirming that Blue Arc had reported to the Association, so Xu stopped following Ji Minghuan and headed to the building.
• Black Cocoon followed Xu Sanyan, hoping to witness Su Zimai and Gu Qiye meet.

Su Zimai and Ke Qirui learned that Gu Wenyu was not Blue Arc and went to the Japanese Exorcist Association, where they missed him. That night, Ji Minghuan prepared to meet Ghost Bell, and the chapter ended as the masked figure arrived.

• Su Zimai felt relieved that Gu Wenyu was not Blue Arc, and Ke Qirui took her to meet the real Blue Arc at the Association branch.
• Ke Qirui, Su Zimai, and Xu Sanyan met the Japanese branch President, who told them Blue Arc had left and would return the next day.
• Ji Minghuan followed Su Zimai to Qing Ben Hua Hotel, memorized its location, then returned to Roppongi Hotel and went to sleep.
• On July 15, Ji Minghuan spent the day waiting and prepared to meet Gu Zhuoan as Ghost Bell that night.
• During a torrential storm, Black Cocoon waited in an abandoned building near Tokyo Bay until Ghost Bell appeared.

Ghost Bell confronted Black Cocoon, who blamed him for abandoning Gu Qiye and warned that his son was being drawn into danger at the Underground Auction. Black Cocoon offered to help Ghost Bell save Gu Qiye and find his wife’s killer, then revealed a face that Ghost Bell recognized as Su Zimai’s.

• Ghost Bell seized Black Cocoon and demanded to know how he knew about his life and family.
• Black Cocoon accused Ghost Bell of neglecting Gu Qiye and warned that the United Nations was using him and that Rainbow Wing would lead him into danger.
• Black Cocoon told Ghost Bell that Gu Qiye would serve as a bodyguard at the Underground Auction, where the White Crow Troupe was targeting the event.
• Black Cocoon explained that Gu Qiye’s actions were driven by his inability to move on from his mother’s death, and Ghost Bell insisted he could still persuade him to stop.
• Black Cocoon proposed working together to rescue Gu Qiye and find the Rainbow Wing member who killed Ghost Bell’s wife.
• Black Cocoon’s face emerged from beneath the Restraint Bands, and Ghost Bell recognized it as Su Zimai’s.

Ghost Bell nearly reconciled with Black Cocoon after mistaking him for Su Zimai, but realized the figure was a disguise and a clone. The decoy vanished after warning Ghost Bell that he would come to like what lay beneath Black Cocoon’s mask, leaving Ghost Bell furious and shaken.

• Black Cocoon’s Restraint Band peeled away to reveal Su Zimai’s face, and Ghost Bell released her in shock and guilt.
• Su Zimai accused Ghost Bell of abandoning his family and asked him to cooperate in saving her brother; Ghost Bell agreed that her brother would not die.
• Ghost Bell remembered Black Cocoon’s ability to change his appearance and confronted him, prompting Black Cocoon to reveal his true form as Gu Wenyu.
• Black Cocoon transformed into Gu Qiye and taunted Ghost Bell, who tore away the apparent face and discovered he had been choking a clone made of Restraint Bands.
• Black Cocoon warned Ghost Bell about what lay beneath his mask before the decoy broke apart into vapor, and Ghost Bell roared in anger.

After Ghost Bell killed the Restraint Belt Avatar, Ji Minghuan reflected on their failed negotiations and waited for the auction, then learned that his parents were former members of Sodalitas Salvifica who were still alive. Instructor revealed that Ji Minghuan would soon meet another contained child, an Anecdote Envoy bound to a Mythic-Grade Anecdote.

• Ji Minghuan awoke after Ghost Bell killed his Restraint Belt Avatar and decided he would try to cooperate with Gu Zhuoan after the auction.
• Ji Minghuan synchronized with Xia Pingzhou, and Ayase Origami blocked the storm's noise with sheets of paper so they could sleep.
• Instructor told Ji Minghuan that his parents were alive and showed him files and photographs identifying them as Ji Huaiye and Lin Xi, former Sodalitas Salvifica members.
• Instructor said Ji Huaiye had been a powerful Calamity-Grade Superhuman and Lin Xi had developed the Superpower Inhibitor, but he did not know why they had disappeared.
• Instructor told Ji Minghuan he would meet the second child living there, an Anecdote Envoy bound to an unparalleled Mythic-Grade Anecdote.

Ji Minghuan learned that Sodalitas Salvifica held a child with a Myth Grade Anecdote and wondered whether his missing parents had fled the organization. The next morning, he followed Ke Qirui and Su Zimai to a guarded seaside villa, where Blue Arc arrived and felt an unexplained familiarity with Su Zimai.

• Instructor told Ji Minghuan that a child held by Sodalitas Salvifica possessed a Myth Grade Anecdote and promised to explain more later.
• Ji Minghuan recalled his parents’ disappearance and suspected they might have left Sodalitas Salvifica after noticing something wrong.
• Ji Minghuan woke before dawn, confirmed Gu Qiye and Gu Zhuoan were still missing from their hotel room, and used his Restraint Bands to follow Ke Qirui and Su Zimai.
• Ke Qirui presented her Exorcist Association credential to gain entry to a private villa where the elders of the Eight Underworld Families gathered.
• Blue Arc arrived at the villa and felt an odd familiarity with Su Zimai, whose face was hidden by a Human-Face Mask.

Su Zimai, Ke Qirui, and Blue Arc met before joining the Japanese Core Bodyguard Team to discuss fighting the White Crow Troupe. Black Cocoon secretly listened in, then was hurt when Blue Arc and Su Zimai denied being close to him.

• Su Zimai introduced herself to Blue Arc as Ke Zinan, and Ke Qirui explained that she was her younger sister.
• Ke Qirui and Blue Arc entered the villa, while Black Cocoon followed them inside unseen and eavesdropped from the second floor.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior introduced Japan's team members, and Ke Qirui introduced Su Zimai, Xu Sanyan, and Lin Zhengquan.
• Black Cocoon doubted the assembled team could defeat the White Crow Troupe and decided he would have to rely on himself.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior asked Blue Arc about his relationship with Black Cocoon, who messaged Blue Arc asking him to call them good friends.
• Blue Arc called Black Cocoon an insignificant stray dog, Su Zimai agreed, and Black Cocoon sat upstairs plotting to torment them later.

Ke Qirui, Blue Arc, and the others discussed the threat of the White Crow Troupe and questioned whether Japan had enough strength to protect the auction. Cherry Blossom Warrior revealed that two powerful guests might intervene, and Ji Minghuan suspected one belonged to Sodalitas Salvifica.

• Blue Arc denied collaborating with Black Cocoon, while Ke Qirui suspected he was one of Black Cocoon's associates.
• Xu Sanyan accused the Japanese side of sending too little combat strength, prompting Fuyuyama Nobunaga to confront him before Ke Qirui ordered him to stay silent.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior said more than fifty Espers from the Eight Underworld Families would support the core bodyguard team, and Haihara Ritsu projected a dossier identifying five White Crow Troupe members, including three Quasi-Calamity Grades.
• Ke Qirui warned that the known force might not be enough if the White Crow Troupe's other members were equally powerful.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior revealed that two guests from different factions, one possibly stronger than Blue Arc, might join the fight if needed.
• Ji Minghuan guessed that Li Qingping was one of the guests and considered Sodalitas Salvifica as the faction behind the other.

Ji Minghuan learned more about the guests and Cherry Blossom Warrior’s suspicions while posing as Gu Wenyu, then focused on finding a lead to Sodalitas Salvifica and rescuing his Main Body and Kong Youling. After synchronizing with Xia Pingzhou, he challenged Oda Takikage to test his strength.

• Blue Arc left Cherry Blossom Warrior’s villa, while Ji Minghuan stayed behind to listen for intelligence and considered building a cooperative relationship with Cherry Blossom Warrior.
• Cherry Blossom Warrior and her allies discussed Blue Arc’s growing strength and worried that Black Cocoon might be influencing him.
• Ji Minghuan returned to the hotel, met Gu Qiye for breakfast, and discussed superpowers and Su Zimai’s possible attraction to girls.
• Ji Minghuan considered the possibility that the auction guest was connected to Lake Hunt, but resolved to identify any guest from Sodalitas Salvifica so he could rescue his Main Body and Kong Youling.
• Ji Minghuan synchronized with Xia Pingzhou and challenged Oda Takikage to a fight to test his strength.

Ji Minghuan persuaded Oda Takikage to spar so he could test his evolved Heavenly Drive against a peak Dragon Grade fighter. The chapter ended as Oda vanished into the shadows to begin their duel.

• Ji Minghuan refused Oda Takikage’s suggestion to spar with another Troupe member and insisted on fighting him instead.
• Ayase Origami directed Oda to humor Ji Minghuan, and the three went to an abandoned building near Tokyo Bay.
• Ayase Origami sealed the building’s windows while Ji Minghuan summoned his evolved chess-piece army and explained that killing nine Chief Grade ability users had strengthened his Heavenly Drive.
• Ayase Origami asked Ji Minghuan to come to her instead of the old vampire woman, and Ji Minghuan agreed to be her cat.
• Oda Takikage recognized Ji Minghuan’s evolution-type Heavenly Drive, drew his blade, and vanished into a shadow as the spar began.

Ji Minghuan defeated Oda Takikage by using the Queen Statue’s Voidification to evade his attack and counter with a dagger at his throat. After admitting defeat, Oda Takikage said three members would arrive in Tokyo that night, while the captain had not yet arrived.

• Ji Minghuan had a Rook Piece fire at him, using the cannon blast to expose Oda Takikage’s attack and the King Statue’s protective barrier.
• Oda Takikage targeted the King Statue, but the Shadow Demon pulled it into the shadows while Ji Minghuan’s Rook Pieces attacked.
• Oda Takikage destroyed three Black Iron Soldiers, then cut off the King Statue’s head after the Shadow Demon’s time ran out.
• Oda Takikage attacked Ji Minghuan from a shadow, but the Queen Statue used Voidification and countered with a dagger at his throat.
• Oda Takikage admitted defeat, and Ji Minghuan learned that three members would arrive in Tokyo that night while the captain had not yet arrived.

Ji Minghuan met three newly arrived White Crow Troupe members and learned about their abilities and relative strength. As the troupe prepared for the coming auction battle, he judged the sides evenly matched and wondered how the mysterious guest and the absent Troupe Leader would affect the outcome.

• Bloodline visited Ji Minghuan at the Cafe while Ayase Origami and Oda Takikage went to meet three troupe members arriving from the harbor.
• Ayase Origami and Oda Takikage returned with Lan Duoduo, Hacker, and Andrew, and Lan Duoduo introduced herself as No. 5.
• Lan Duoduo described Andrew's Sniper Rifle and Hacker's connection to online data, while Andrew drank wine mixed with the blood of the Esper Ember.
• Bloodline said the Troupe Leader or Jack the Ripper was generally considered the troupe's strongest, and that Oda Takikage ranked toward the weaker end.
• Ji Minghuan assessed the troupe's roster and concluded that the auction battle's outcome depended in part on the mysterious guest and the Troupe Leader, who had yet to arrive in Tokyo.